The Montreal Canadiens lost to the Dallas Stars 7-0 on Thursday, moving them to 10-5-2 on the season. Despite a great overall record, Montreal has just one win in five games against 2025 playoff teams, which is a concerning trend to start the season. The Canadiens followed that up with tough injury news on forward Alex Newhook and defenseman Kaiden Guhle on Friday.

“Forward Alex Newhook (fractured ankle) underwent surgery on Friday at the Montreal General Hospital. The surgery was performed by Dr. Greg Berry, and he is expected to be out for 4 months,” the statement read. “Defenseman Kaiden Guhle (partially torn adductor muscle) underwent surgery Thursday in New York City. The surgery was performed by Dr. Mark Zoland, and Guhle is expected to miss 8 to 10 weeks.”

Newhook suffered the injury in that loss to the Stars. He went crashing into the boards after an awkward hit where his feet went into the wall first. That fractured his ankle and will sideline him until March.

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Guhle has not played since October 16 due to this injury. The best-case scenario is the defenseman coming back in the new year, but that is not a guarantee. He is one of the key defensemen on the young unit for Martin St Louis and the Habs.

The Canadiens re-ignite one of their biggest rivalries on Saturday night against the Boston Bruins. With low expectations, Boston has been solid in recent weeks. Montreal is finally primed for a playoff run, and they cannot lose to Boston with those expectations.

While Newhook is out, Zach Bolduc will be looked upon to step up. The young forward came over this offseason in a trade with the St Louis Blues. He has just four goals and two assists in 17 games this season, so more offense is needed for the Canadiens to keep their spot atop the Atlantic Division.